Heaven-Defying Hero - Chapter 37
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#037
Evening with thick sunset colors.
“Hmm.”
A soft sigh escaped from the entrance of Deungmyeong Manor.
She wore pale yellow clothes like dawn daffodils, loosened her lip muscles several times, and created a moderate smile.
Thud. Thud.
The door opened lightly with her small hand’s knocking, and a figure appeared.
“Welcome. Dan-ju.”
“Pansuk, you look reliable today as well.”
Pansuk greeted Yeon-hee who had come to visit Deungmyeong Manor.
“Dan-ju is a dangerous person, so I won’t have conversations.”
“I’m not a dangerous person.”
“They said people who say that are the most dangerous. So please talk with my brothers.”
Pansuk kept his mouth firmly shut and guided her into the manor.
The place he led her to was the rear garden.
Though it wasn’t a place with particularly good memories, she didn’t show it and greeted the two people waiting.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Sister said to invite you if you had something to say, so I did.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Yeon-hee was doing the work, but Ja-gang-cheon was receiving the greetings.
Even the experienced Yeon-hee found situations confusing like this whenever she met Ja-gang-cheon.
In the past, she had tried to seduce him somehow to make him her ally, but now she only wanted to escape quickly.
“Sister.”
“Yes. Lord.”
“You look pretty today.”
Normally she would have smiled more deeply, but not here.
‘Just how much are you planning to extort?’
Ja-gang-cheon even dusted off the seat, designating where she should sit.
“Your legs must be tired. Sit down quickly.”
“Thank you.”
Hiding her true feelings, she took her seat, and Ja-gang-cheon sat across from her with a tea table between them. And on the right, as before, Cheon-gu took his place.
“What business did you call me for?”
“I want to know about Chosuhoe.”
Yeon-hee was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“It’s because of the East Sea Merchant Guild.”
She quickly found the answer by connecting Deungmyeong Manor’s current situation with Chosuhoe.
‘Amazing.’
Ja-gang-cheon was inwardly impressed.
‘It means she knows what I want too.’
This time, unlike before, he genuinely needed information.
‘I’m at a disadvantage.’
For the first time, Yeon-hee was in an advantageous position.
“The tea has a nice fragrance.”
There was no way she wouldn’t know this. The smile on her lips was softer than ever. Instead of speaking with those pretty lips, she dragged out time by drinking tea for a long while.
Having fully displayed her advantage, she began to speak just when Ja-gang-cheon’s patience was about to run out.
“As for Chosuhoe, many movements have been detected recently. Our Hao-mun is also paying attention.”
“That works out well.”
“But the value of the information is quite high. As I mentioned, it’s the latest information and we’re investing a lot of manpower.”
She meant to negotiate first before giving information.
“What do you want?”
Ja-gang-cheon also stopped the clumsy negotiations and began serious bargaining.
“Well. Shouldn’t the person who wants the information make the offer?”
“You need to tell me the price to know if I can pay it.”
Yeon-hee also noticed that Ja-gang-cheon’s manner of speaking was different from before.
‘He’s grown a lot.’
In the past, Ja-gang-cheon’s knowledge was shallow. But now he gave off quite an adult-like feeling.
“Fine. This time I’ll make a special concession.”
“I’ll have to hear it to know if it’s a concession.”
“I want to open a shop in the port.”
“That’s a contract violation.”
They had promised not to engage in new businesses other than existing business and the black market.
“Please make an exception this time.”
“Is that the price for the information?”
“That’s right. I’m thinking of opening a tea house in the port.”
“The reason?”
“I want to monitor Shandong Trading Company. Those bastards might even touch the black market.”
Ja-gang-cheon realized one thing.
“Shandong Trading Company’s expansion isn’t welcome to Hao-mun either.”
“They say the enemy of my enemy is an ally.”
“I don’t want to become allies with Hao-mun.”
“That’s unfortunate. I want to become closer with you, Lord.”
Ja-gang-cheon looked at Cheon-gu beside him.
“Monitoring Shandong Trading Company and black market business. If purposes other than these two are discovered, you transfer the shop to us. This condition must be documented.”
“Subordinate is always meticulous.”
“I’m learning a lot from Dan-ju.”
“You tend to learn useless things.”
“Making those useless things useful is my job.”
This time Cheon-gu and Yeon-hee engaged in a tense battle of nerves. But Cheon-gu subtly smiled.
‘What?’
When an ominous feeling crossed her mind,
“Last time I said if you came to the manor, I’d return you as you were. I’m good at keeping promises.”
A shadow stood behind the seated Yeon-hee.
There had been no sign of approach, and she only noticed belatedly when clothes fluttered in the wind.
“Gasp!”
Yeon-hee was so shocked upon seeing the person that she froze in place.
“I… I pay my respects to the master. I apologize for not greeting you separately.”
“What master. I’m just an ordinary auntie raising a son.”
The person standing behind her was Song Ja-in.
“Auntie. Please sit.”
“I like it here.”
She deliberately stood behind Yeon-hee.
“Don’t waste Lord’s time. It’s incomparable to your time.”
That one statement revealed how much Song Ja-in cared for Ja-gang-cheon.
‘How did he win over a solitary expert?’
She could only think it was related to her son becoming healthy.
‘Has she really become part of Deungmyeong Manor’s household?’
Though many thoughts arose, there was no time to ponder. She could feel sharp killing intent from behind.
“Chosuhoe is a gathering of mountain people from across the nation. Until 10 years ago, they barely maintained their lineage, but now they’ve split into small groups and lost their meaning. Originally, it was a group with a weak center, so it had a structure vulnerable to internal division.”
Once she started talking, it flowed without obstruction as if she had prepared it.
“The reason the former Chosuhoe grew to rival the Green Forest was entirely due to the capabilities of the last leader, Ga Cheolryang. He was the one who united hundreds of branches that had been acting independently.”
Geuksan Nogwi Ga Cheolryang.
As his alias “the vicious ghost dwelling in the mountains” suggested, he was known as a fierce and cruel figure. However, Song Ja-in’s assessment was different.
“It’s true that his methods were cruel and vicious. However, those methods were limited to organizations that had troubled Chosuhoe. That alias was also created by them. Within Chosuhoe, he was called Gohon Sanryeong.”
Gohon Sanryeong .
It meant the lonely soul of the mountain. To Chosuhoe, Ga Cheolryang was the mountain itself.
“When he failed to return from the Gwigokdo expedition, a struggle arose over the new leader position. Several people became leaders, but none lasted a year. Chosan Association without Ga Cheolryang was good prey for both the orthodox and demonic sects.”
Ga Cheolryang’s presence had been that significant.
“Eventually, the organization was torn apart piece by piece and began to collapse. When the number of members fell below acceptable levels, it naturally followed the path to dissolution. Now they’re scattered everywhere and don’t even use the name Chosan Association.”
“If they disbanded on their own, wouldn’t it be impossible to reunite them?”
“They all feel the necessity. Since the Chosan Association incident, ginseng diggers and hunters have been receiving poor treatment. However, there’s no central figure like Ga Cheolryang to unite them.”
“But Hao-mun is still watching because there’s a possibility?”
“Honestly, it’s not very hopeful. However, if it succeeds, there would be significant repercussions, so we’re keeping watch.”
In the end, it meant there was room for negotiation only if their alliance succeeded.
“Currently, five people are leading the alliance.”
“Can I meet them?”
“Do you want us to arrange it directly? That would require separate payment.”
“No. I just need to know their identities and locations.”
“Good. I’ll organize it and contact you soon.”
With those words, Yeon-hee rose from her seat.
“Sister. Why are you in such a hurry today? Don’t tell me you’re uncomfortable because of Auntie?”
“That’s not it. I’m trying to deliver the information quickly.”
As she descended from the pavilion, Ja-gang-cheon asked her.
“Sister. Where shall we meet next time?”
At those words, Yeon-hee frowned. Honestly, having conversations with a poison expert behind her was never pleasant.
“I’ll prepare everything properly and invite you.”
“Alright. I’ll look forward to it.”
Yeon-hee left the manor.
Ja-gang-cheon also informed the Merchant Guild Leader about meeting with Chosan Association. That evening, a serious meeting was held at the East Sea Merchant Guild.
“Since Lord is going to such lengths, we must also make a decision now.”
Even under pressure from Shandong Trading Guild, they sought a way to survive. In the process of conceiving and developing one strategy, Ja-gang-cheon had stepped forward.
“Even if it was pressure from Shandong Trading Guild, they abandoned us in an instant. We have no reason to hesitate either.”
Finally, the Merchant Guild Leader made his decision.
“This is the guild’s business, but we can’t let only Lord bear the burden.”
Late at night, they visited the manor.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“Lord. Actually, we have a way to overcome this situation. We needed resolve, but now we won’t hesitate anymore.”
“What method is that?”
“Dan-ju Cha will explain. He was the first to suggest the idea.”
It was Cha Makdo, who had been betrayed and expelled from Haeshin Merchant Guild but now held a key position in East Sea Merchant Guild.
“Then I’ll explain. Instead of stopping pill production, we should start direct distribution using ice.”
“Direct distribution?”
“Currently, merchant guilds are rejecting our ice. This means goods that should be going inland are stuck. This means the demand generated inland hasn’t been met, so if we take them directly, it could become a new main business.”
“Two weeks ago, after hearing Dan-ju Cha’s opinion, we investigated the inland situation. Prices of goods requiring ice are rising. This means supply is insufficient, so there’s definitely potential.”
Others nodded in agreement with the opinion. Cha Makdo added one more point.
“Distribution networks are usually difficult to seize. However, this time, existing merchant guilds have voluntarily abandoned their solid distribution networks. This is an unprecedented opportunity for us. However, since Shandong Trading Guild might interfere with this too, we should target areas outside Shandong Province.”
East Sea Merchant Guild had found their own way to survive. Learning of this fact, Ja-gang-cheon looked at them with warm eyes.
“You said you gathered talent from across the nation, and indeed, it’s excellent.”
“Thank you, Lord.”
Ja-gang-cheon pondered for a moment before reaching a conclusion.
“Let’s do this. You all execute the plan you just mentioned. I’ll solve the medicinal ingredient supply.”
“Lord. You don’t need to do that. We’ll manage somehow.”
“We’re family, so it’s right to work together. When there’s something I can do, it doesn’t feel right to just sit still.”
With him saying this much, Jo Pilseong could no longer insist.
“That works out well.”
Ja-gang-cheon spoke with emphasis.
“Let’s show them what happens when they mess with us.”
At those words, the merchant guild members’ hearts burned with passion.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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